Fournet statue unveiled to extensive crowd at Veterans Memorial Park

More than 40 years after his death, 1st
Lt. Douglas B. Fournet’s memorial was unveiled to an extensive crowd
Saturday at Veterans
Memorial Park. The event was hosted by the city of Lake Charles
and the Mayor’s Committee for the First Lieutenant Douglas
B. Fournet Memorial. The event, attended by residents, service
members, family and friends, focused on remembering one of
the area’s well-known figures.

Mayor Randy Roach spoke before the unveiling. He said the memorial is a way for the city to show people that it will never
forget the sacrifices made by one of its native sons.

“Today we take the opportunity to show
them we mean what we say,” Roach said. He went on to say he hopes future
generations
will visit Veterans Memorial Park and not only think about
Fournet’s sacrifices, but envision making an impact in the world
in some way of their own.

Fournet’s platoon came under sniper
fire as it worked its way uphill in Vietnam’s A Shau Valley. When
Fournet realized his
right flank man had discovered a mine and that alerting nearby
troops would draw the attention of the enemy, Fournet ordered
his men to take cover. Taking out his knife, he ran uphill to the
mine and using his body as a shield, he tried to cut the
control wires.

The mine detonated, killing the
24-year-old instantly. In May 1968, his final act of selflessness saved
the lives of the men
in his platoon. When the memorial was unveiled, Fournet’s son,
Bill, summed up his emotions about seeing the statue of his
father in a simple way. While thanking local representatives for
their work in creating the memorial, Bill thanked Janie Stine
LaCroix for creating the likeness of his father.

“This is the closest I have come to looking him in the eye, and I thank you,” Fournet said.

The memorial is considered the
centerpiece of a redesign of the Veterans Memorial Park entry way. After
the ceremony, a reception
was held in the Contraband Room of the Lake Charles Civic Center.